Johnny Depp splits from Vanessa Paradis

Johnny Depp and his longtime girlfriend Vanessa Paradis have agreed to separate "amicably" after 14 years together, a publicist for the Hollywood A-lister has confirmed.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star and the French singer and actress have been together for 14 years, although rumours of trouble have been circulating for some time, leading to Paradis denying a split in January.

"Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis have amicably separated. Please respect their privacy and, more importantly, the privacy of their children," a Depp publicist told celebrity TV show Entertainment Tonight.

The publicist, Robin Baum, confirmed the statement to AFP.

The couple, who divide their time between France and the United States, have two children aged 10 and 13 but have never married.

In January, Paradis flatly denied a split, telling French Canal+ television station: "The rumour is false, of course it is false .. It's a rumour that could really damage my family," she added.

One day earlier she had joked about the rumours, saying: "As soon as I eat three peas, I'm pregnant ... As soon as I visit a town, I'm buying a house ... I separate in the winter, in the summer I get married.

"I've been getting married every year for 15 years! If on top of everything else I have to respond to every rumour," the French star told Europe 1 radio.

Depp has had a number of celebrity partners over the years, and has been engaged to four: Sherilyn Fenn, Jennifer Grey, Winona Ryder and Kate Moss, according to the IMDb movie industry website.

The 49-year-old - whose latest film is Tim Burton's Dark Shadows, and who is lined up for a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean outing - was married to Lori Anne Allison in 1983 but divorced in 1985.

He and Paradis began dating in 1998, and she gave birth to Lily-Rose Melody in 1999 and Jack in 2002.

Paradis, 39, is more famous in France than abroad. She began as a model and singer before branching into movies. Her films include 1999's La Fille sur le Pont (Girl on the Bridge) and, more recently, last year's Cafe de Flore.

She and Depp previously split their time between a home in the Hollywood Hills and a farm in the south of France, while they have also owned apartments in Paris, Manhattan and in the Bahamas, according to IMDb.